Women make their mark in US midterm elections

Washington - Women will break the current record of 84 serving at the same time in the U.S. House.

With ballots still being counted across the country, women have won 75 seats and are assured of victory in nine districts where women are the only major-party candidates.

From the Women's March opposing President Donald Trump the day after he was inaugurated in January 2017 through a stream of sexual assault accusations later that year that sparked the #MeToo movement, outrage and organizing by women have defined Democratic Party politics this election cycle.

More than 230 women, many of them first-time candidates, were on the general-election ballots in House races.

Despite the gains, men will continue to hold the vast majority of House seats.

The US midterm elections on Tuesday brought a range of fresh faces to Washington, from the the youngest-ever woman in Congress, from the youngest ever, to the first Muslims, first Native American, and the first African-American.

Here is a look at some of the most prominent of the new legislators:

Young left-wing star

At 29, staunch left-winger Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress and one of the youngest members ever.

With her win against Republican Anthony Pappas, Ocasio-Cortez became the youngest woman elected to Congress
Image Credit: AFP

Until recently making ends meet as a bartender, Ocasio-Cortez scored an upset in a Democratic primary in New York City to defeat 10-term member Joe Crowley, one of the most powerful members of the party.

She easily won Tuesday against a Republican in the heavily Democratic and ethnically diverse district straddling Queens and The Bronx.

A supporter of leftist Senator Bernie Sanders - who won his own re-election bid Tuesday - Ocasio-Cortez has quickly become a national voice with her calls for a universal health care system, tuition-free public universities and the abolition of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has executed President Donald Trump's campaign to deport undocumented immigrants.

Face of change in Boston

Ayanna Pressley, 44, on Tuesday became the first African American woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts, representing much of the same area as John F. Kennedy.

In a story with parallels to Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley defeated a 10-term male incumbent, Mike Capuano, in the Democratic primary for a left-leaning district that includes much of Boston and Harvard University. Like Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley cast her election as part of a need for better representation in the era of the #MeToo movement.

Congresswomen Elect Ayanna Pressley speaks to reporters after voting at the Adams Street Library on Election Day in Boston
Image Credit: AFP

When she won the primary, she denounced President Donald Trump as "a racist, misogynistic, truly empathy-bankrupt man."

Sign up for the Gulf News Newsletter

Find us on Social

This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you.
Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy.